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NBD 1978 Fender Precision Bass

That's a good question my cheap bathroom scale won't even register a weight but I will say she's lighter than my Thumb:) and lighter than the MIM P I had a really comfortable weight.


Nice. I have a '73 P neck/'74 J body bass that I love. Insane tone, and gets tuned twice a year whether it needs it or not, but weighs over 12 pounds.
 
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I noticed a large number of threads recently geared toward P basses so I looked around and noticed that I sold all of mine during my last bass purge so I went looking for a nice P bass even though one of the P bass models in my Line 6 Variax is really good I still wanted a P bass. I looked at the new AVRI's and although they are all beautiful sounding well made basses I wasn't ready to lay out that much coin on a new bass my recent purchase of a Warwick Thumb has got me a little gun shy. I've heard nothing but good things about the Road Worn 50's Precisions and I was about to pull the trigger when I decided to just take a look at Guitar Centers vintage P basses I saw this beauty and I liked that fact that I had three days to check it out to make sure it was authentic I had it shipped to my local store and the tech went over it again to check the dates she was made between Dec 1977 and Dec 1978 all of the electronics date to 77' everything else is 78' even the serial number sticker on the pickguard matches the headstock all original solder joints etc.


Condition:
The bass is in beautiful condition some very light scratches on the pickguard and a couple of small worn spots on the front. I love the brighter red in the burst and all of the metal is in great shape some of the chrome paint is missing in spots on the knobs so I bought some new ones from TB'er bassdude51(thanks again sir) I also ordered a new pickguard so I could put the original up I want to avoid that dreaded broken tip I see on many old P basses. The foam mute is there not sure if it's original? it's definitely not new.

Tone/Playability: I have a very bad habit of over gushing about new gear probably more than anyone else on this forum so I wanted to play the bass for awhile before I gave my review. The neck is just wonderful even the tech at GC couldn't put it down it's so comfortable and smooth I usually don't notice necks but this one really stands out. All of my P basses have had flats without fail but this bass came with some really great feeling and sounding mystery rounds? (red silk at the tuner end nothing at the ball end maybe GHS Boomers?) and I'm telling you if you are against putting rounds on your P bass you really are missing out on the full tonal range of these basses this thing can do everything from Motown to the Clash back to The Band Perry without breaking a sweat I'm officially a convert. And now the pictures. :)

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I heard you bragging about this one. Now I can see why. One of the nicest I've seen.
 
Nice. I have a '73 P neck/'74 J body bass that I love. Insane tone, and gets tuned twice a year whether it needs it or not, but weighs over 12 pounds.

I bet that sounds killer these 70's and 80's Fenders are really a steal I know some people don't consider those eras to be among Fender's finest but all the ones I played have been great.
 
I've got a 73 P, all original except for the pots. Mine's beat to hell, but sounds and plays amazing. Road worn is nice, but I'd love to have one like this.

Actually I was looking for a really road worn P but they all cost more. I have a weird thing for worn basses I get so paranoid about scratches and dings it's nice to have a bass I can relax with. :)
 
I actually got mine back in '82 when the owner needed $250 cash more than he needed the bass. If there is ever an ugly bass contest I won't enter it, because everyone will think I created it for the contest. The body was stripped and screw holes plugged with wood filler (filler not even sanded flat) then "finished" with what looks like the clear bar table finish - thick, and cracks thru it.
 
I actually got mine back in '82 when the owner needed $250 cash more than he needed the bass. If there is ever an ugly bass contest I won't enter it, because everyone will think I created it for the contest. The body was stripped and screw holes plugged with wood filler (filler not even sanded flat) then "finished" with what looks like the clear bar table finish - thick, and cracks thru it.

But she sounds good
 
Actually I was looking for a really road worn P but they all cost more. I have a weird thing for worn basses I get so paranoid about scratches and dings it's nice to have a bass I can relax with. :)
That is the truth. I bought 3 basses in the past 6 months. Two are near perfect. The one with the most wear gets the most play. You always want that one beater around.
 
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That's a really lovely, classy P. Congrats! Extra bonus round on it not being heavy - 78 was a brutal year for Fender in terms of weight.

I, too, like rounds on a P. My '78 (fretless in ugly walnut brown and also not too heavy) wears flats, but I make sure to have at least one wearing rounds within reach. I know folks on this forum can get a little carried away waxing rhapsodic about P-basses, and I certainly have plenty of other options in the stable myself that get used more than the venerable P, but let's face it; P basses are popular for a reason. They're great basses. Cheers on finding a really good one, Sir!
 
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That's a really lovely, classy P. Congrats! Extra bonus round on it not being heavy - 78 was a brutal year for Fender in terms of weight.

I, too, like rounds on a P. My '78 (fretless in ugly walnut brown and also not too heavy) wears flats, but I make sure to have at least one wearing rounds within reach. I know folks on this forum can get a little carried away waxing rhapsodic about P-basses, and I certainly have plenty of other options in the stable myself that get used more than the venerable P, but let's face it; P basses are popular for a reason. They're great basses. Cheers on finding a really good one, Sir!

Thank you sir and the Boomers have a nice low end that allows me to play everything. I was using pedals to put that bite back into my sound because I was using flats now all I need is a pick. :)
 
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Thank you sir and the Boomers have a nice low end that allows me to play everything. I was using pedals to put that bite back into my sound because I was using flats now all I need is a pick. :)

Yes, I mainly play with fingers- I am quicker that way and more even, just me. I let the nails on my plucking fingers grow a just a little and that gives me the bite I am looking for with the rounds.
 
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Congrats Mike. Great looking bass. I just got this one a few months ago. It's a '75 with an "A" Jazz width neck. Enjoy her, she's beautiful.
 

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WOW that is gorgeous! And in such nice shape, too. Love the sunburst + black and the stellar wood grain. I recently picked up a '77 in mocha, a very light one with a great-feeling neck. Personally, I love the sound of these '70s P basses, they have more of an edge to them than earlier years.

Hope you love it for years to come!
 
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